January 1, McDonald’s Destroyed in Paris Riots as Cost-of-Living Protests Turn Violent

Wyatt’s Take

• Ordinary French families are paying the price for violent riots that started over rising costs but turned into looting and destruction.
• Businesses like McDonald’s, cafés, and grocery stores were smashed and burned while politicians in Paris scrambled to restore order.
• Working people everywhere know that when law and order breaks down, it’s the regular folks who lose their jobs, their safety, and their way of life.

A McDonald’s in Paris was left ransacked and heavily damaged after cost-of-living protests exploded into riots and widespread looting that also targeted restaurants, cafés and grocery stores across the French capital — with the city now issuing curfews in two places, The Associated Press reported.

The McDonald’s on Boulevard de Magenta near Gare de l’Est suffered smashed windows and extensive damage inside, according to Le Monde.

Computer screens were damaged — while an ice cream machine continued spilling vanilla onto a ketchup-covered floor, the outlet reported.

Intruders even attempted to cook french fries before a man and his dog drove about 20 people from the restaurant, a security guard told the publication.

Fox News Digital reached out to McDonald’s for comment about the vandalism.

The American-based fast-food chain was hardly the only food business to be caught up in the destruction.

A neighborhood café was burned out, a wine shop was destroyed and supermarkets were among the businesses targeted as unrest swept Paris.

Among the hardest hit was La Barrique, a neighborhood café near Place de la République that was burned out, according to Le Monde.

The son of the café’s owners told the outlet his mother was inside when the business was attacked and was later taken to a hospital with a head injury.

Grocery stores were hit hard as well.

The Franprix, Monoprix, Picard and Carrefour City locations were among the grocery retailers targeted during the unrest, according to French news agency AFP.

At a Franprix on Rue Beaurepaire near Place de la République, shelves were emptied and products were either stolen or crushed on the floor.

Looters elsewhere were seen leaving supermarkets carrying bags filled with food, juice and alcohol, Le Monde reported.

An Intermarché Express on Boulevard de Magenta was also looted. A crew from Euronews said they were assaulted by masked individuals while reporting near the supermarket.

A Nicolas wine shop on Boulevard de Magenta was also destroyed — with shattered bottles and wine covering the area outside the store, according to Le Monde.

The destruction was part of widespread violence that followed demonstrations Saturday over the rising cost of living and other grievances.

French-born restaurateur Olivia Ostrow, who now operates Maison Ostrow in South Florida, told Fox News Digital the unrest reflects tensions extending far beyond the French capital.

Ostrow, who was born in Paris and whose grandparents survived the Holocaust, expressed concern about what she described as rising antisemitism and the role of social media in fueling hostility.

She argued that some demonstrators have embraced political causes without fully understanding the history behind them.

“Those kids and most of those people couldn’t point to Israel on the world map if it hit them in the face,” she said.

Many on social media shared their dismay about what is happening in France.

“I have nothing but disgust for anyone trying to justify this,” wrote one person. “Let me say it, the ones suffering the consequences are ordinary French people, not the government. It’s ordinary citizens who will pay for this, whose cars were burned, whose businesses and homes were looted, and whose physical integrity were threatened.”

“These are not protests anymore,” another person wrote.

Several European governments are now advising travelers to France to avoid large crowds and exercise caution during their stay, Reuters reported.

Wyatt Matters

Hard-working families in the heartland know that when law and order collapses, it is the small business owners, workers, and everyday people who pay the price with their livelihoods and safety. Strong borders, strong policing, and respect for the rule of law protect the communities we love and the businesses that keep our towns alive.